Wednesday Night Schedule | Covenant Commitment | Rev Kenneth Carpenter

If you have your Bibles and would join me in the book of Ephesians chapter number five and verse number 21. And let me say what a wonderful crowd of people have come out tonight to hear the word of the Lord. And I thank you so much for your love and dedication to the word of God. There are many churches and this is one of the reasons this church is far above average because in the average church if they can get 50% of their Sunday morning crowd if they can get 50% whatever number they have on Sunday morning if they can get 50% back on Sunday night they feel like they're doing good. And if they can get somewhere around 30 to 40% back on midweek service they feel like they're doing great. And I'm so thankful tonight that I pastor a g great group of people that are far above average that want to hear the word of the Lord tonight. Thank you so much. Thank you for your love. Thank you for your love for the word of God this evening. Thank you so much. Ephesians chapter 5 and verse number 21. submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God. Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God. That's my text for tonight. I think it's such a short text that we could probably all repeat it. Why don't we all Why don't we all say it together tonight? Follow with pastor, would you? submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God. I want to continue part two of covenant, covenant and commitment. But before we pray, let me make this statement to you. Preaching has never been and will never be about condemning people. Preaching has never been intended to condemn anybody. If your preaching condemns, you're not preaching Jesus. Because he said, "I came not to condemn the world." >> But some people cannot discern between conviction >> and being condemned. Being convicted is not being condemned. Being convicted is the Holy Ghost touching your heart. Because conviction has always been intended to bring us to repentance. None of you, I didn't, you didn't come to God without first being convicted. Conviction leads to repentance. So please, please, please. I believe that we're in in a culture right now that sometimes we we love that preaching that comforts us and we love that preaching that that that you know uh tells us to hold on things are going to be changed. And I do I do all that preaching. I believe in all that preaching. Sometimes when God lays a convicting message on pastor, you have to understand it's not condemning. Not condemning. Oh, after Sunday night, pastor, I I just didn't feel like I need to come back to church. Well, you took that wrong. You took you you you you took that wrong. All right? Because that Sunday night preaching was not meant for you to be condemned. It was meant for you to be convicted and for you to repent. And so, before I begin tonight, let's let's just pray. Would you would you just lift up your voices? Let's pray right now. Father, Lord, I've come tonight to share the word of God with this congregation. Lord, your word is your mind. Your word is your will. Lord, you're not willing that any any of us would perish. And God, we know that there's a day of judgment coming. And Lord, we know that this world will not go on forever and that we will not live forever. And Lord, we know that there's a place called heaven and there's a place called hell. And Lord, we know that you have a plan for our lives to bring glory and honor to your name. And I I just pray tonight, God, that every man, woman, boy, and girl in this room would desire to live for you. would desire to know you. God will give you that praise and that honor in Jesus name we all pray. Amen. Amen. You may be seated this evening. You know before Paul got into talking about wives be subject to your husbands. And before he got into the marriage relationship in the book of Ephesians, he makes a short stop at verse number 21, which is our text tonight. And he says, "Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear in the fear of God." Now this word submit there this word this beautiful word this beautiful word it's not an ugly word this word submit here simply means to arrange to arrange under to place oneself under let me tell you something about the spirit of submission is that submission absolutely must be voluntarily given must be voluntarily given. If it's I if you're submitted any other way than wanting volunteering, you're you're placing yourself, then it's not submission at all. It's not submission at all. But do you know when we see the beauty of God's word, we see the beauty of God's ways. How many knows his ways are beautiful? His word is beautiful. His word is awesome. When we see the beauty of God's ways, then it's really not difficult for you and I to begin to arrange ourselves under or to submit under. Um Romans chapter 12 and verse number 10, Paul again talks about this this um submitting yourselves one to another. Now let me let me share something with you. Now, this verse doesn't mean that there's not order of leadership in the church. It's not that we all submit ourselves one to another and there's no leader in the church. That's that's that's not what it that's not what it means there. It means that we are all one army and that regardless of your rank that we submit ourselves one. We place ourselves under one another because we have to understand that we can't make it alone. Brother needs brother and sister needs sister. We can't make it alone. God never intended for us to make it alone. Look at look at Romans 12 verse number 10. Listen to Paul. kindly affection one to another with brotherly love in honor, preferring one another. Here again, here again, Paul is talking about this being together and being one and seeing each other. God, God help us. God, help us tonight that we that we see each other, that we need each other, that there's there's no one that allows the spirit of pride to creep into their heart because everyone in the kingdom of God is needed. You need that individual in your life. And so Paul once again is reminding us in Romans 12 and 10, be kindly affection one to another with brotherly love in honor preferring. Look at that language. In honor, preferring one another. In honor, preferring one another. The Apostle Peter joins in in First Peter chapter 5 in verse number five. Peter joins in in this. And he says, "Likewise, ye younger, ye younger, submit," and again that word is not an ugly word. Likewise, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yay, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility, for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Now, look at that. How beautiful, how beautiful that is. Here, here we have got Paul twice that I've read to you talking about we need each other. We need each other. And now Peter, he comes along and he says, "Not only do we need each other, but that we should be clothed with humility." And then he strikes the cord of what would cause any of us to dare think that we don't need one another. And that's that terrible spirit of pride. That terrible spirit. That terrible spirit of pride. Let's go back to Romans for a moment. We kind of weave our way through Romans 12 and3. Seems like this is the just something that's continually being said through the through the epistles. Romans 12 and three, Paul says, "For I say through the grace given unto me to every man that is among you." you. And of course, now ladies, please understand tonight if you're elbowing your your husband, because I keep saying man, that when we say man in the Bible, unless it dispels it out, it's talking about man, it's just talking about humanity. All right? It's talking about man. So, you can get your elbow out of his rib right now. So, um, let's go on. For I say through the grace given unto me to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure, the measure of faith. So again, he's telling you, you got to watch out for pride. You got to watch out for the long the lone ranger mentality. You got to watch out for the Superman mentality. You got to watch out for the Marboro man mentality. You gota You got to watch out that you can do it all on your own because we we can't do it all on our own. We need one another. We need one another. It would be Solomon that would spell it out so clearly in Proverbs chapter 16 and verse number eight. Be Solomon that would tell us in th this way. He would say, "Pride goeth before destruction and a halty spirit before a fall." You see somebody that's prideful. You see somebody that's haughty. You see somebody that that that is betraying themselves like they don't need anybody else. Just get ready. There's a fall coming in their life. There's disruption coming. And here's the sad thing about when a prideful person falls. They fall when they're all alone and there's no one there to pick them up. But you know, if you'll stay in the church, if you'll keep the right attitude and stay in the body of Christ, meet with the body of Christ, when the body of Christ meets in your local congregation, do you know that when you suffer, somebody else is going to pick on that? They're gonna pick that up in your life. When you fall, somebody's going to be right there. Isn't it Isn't it amazing? And I I I I saw it a little bit tonight. and and we see it so often here that one of the beautiful members will come down to the front begin to worship and you you know that you just kind of pick up in your spirit there's just something there. Isn't it refreshing that when when when you've not told anybody but you just feel that burden to come and worship that sooner or later you feel a hand on your back or you feel somebody praying with you. I'm glad that when I go through trouble when I go through trouble that I'm not going through trouble all by my by myself. I think it was brother Mark Mcool that talked about being a part of the church. And he said being a part of the church he said when the devil fights one he fights us all. He said I saw a t-shirt up in Gatlinburgg that said if you pick on me you're picking on the whole trailer court. You know so or the whole trailer park. All right. And uh that's the way it is. Devil, you pick on one of us, Sister Wells, you pick on all of us. I believe the enemy knows that. And I believe the enemy is like a roaring lion. Do you know that a a lion when it stalks a prey and and you can you can you can research this out, but when a lion will stalk a prey, he will charge into the prey. He will he will charge into the herd. And he that lion knows that he's not gonna make a kill. But that lion simply goes into the herd to take one of its claws and draw blood. If he can draw blood from one of the animals, he just simply waits because he knows the animals bleeding and he can just follow the scent of the blood and sooner or later that animal gets weak and gets away from the flock or the herd and that animal can come in. But I I I believe tonight there's a group of people here that's saying, "I'm gonna stay close to the herd. I'm gonna stay close to the body because my strength is in the body." If one can put a thousand to flight, come on, devil, bring 10,000, two can put 10,000 to flight because there's power in there is power. Go ahead and give him praise right now. There is power. There's power in in number. Submit yourselves one to another. Place yourself under one another. Place yourself under one another. See in one another that they have something that you need. Do you know that God himself would model and be the example of submission? We don't have any excuse. You hear me? We don't have any excuse for not submitting oursel one to another because God Almighty modeled submission. We find it in Luke chapter 2 and verse number 49. He's uh 12 years old at this time. God in flesh. Now we know God is eternal but the flesh was 12 years old. And uh in Luke 2 and 49 they he stayed behind and his parents were looking for him and they found him. And uh he said unto them, "How is it that you sought me? Wish you not that I must be about my father's business?" They understood not the saying which he spake unto them. Now watch this now. He's God in flesh. He's God in flesh. And he went down with them. That's his parents. And came to Nazareth. And was, are you reading this now with me? And was what? >> He was what? >> He was subject unto them. But his mother kept all these sayings in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and with man. Now we we want to understand something right now. God modeled that. God gave a model though he was God in the flesh. He willingly submitted himself. He subject himself. Now, would you please notice what happens when we begin to subject ourselves one to another? Someone say, "Well, I I think this makes me decrease when I if if I subject myself under, I I I lose some of I I lose some of me." Oh, no, no, no, no. You grow. You grow when you submit yourself. Look what happened to Jesus. He submitted himself. And then it says in verse 52, "And Jesus increased in wisdom, stature, and favor with God and with man." He modeled this. Not only did he model it when he's 12 years old, his entire ministry, his entire life was about modeling, submitting. Let's find him in John chapter 13 verse number one. Let's find Jesus there in John. God in flesh in John 13 verse number one. Now before the feast of the Passover when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the father having loved his own which were in the world he loved them until the end. I don't know about you but we ought to underline that in our Bible. He loved them until the end. He loved them until the end. And we know one thing, God is no respector of persons. If he loved them until the end, he's going to love you and I unto the end. That's just a warm That's just a warm verse that I I I enjoy that I enjoy reading. He loved them. He loved his having loved his own which were in the world. He loved them until the end. Supper being ended, the devil now having put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him. Now, let's watch this. Let's see if we can divide this. Now, he loves them until the end. He's at work in their lives. But just as sure as God is at work, guess who is at work also? The devil is at work. Right? We've often said when God starts blessing, the devil starts messing. All right? And I guess that's why we need a message. Amen. When when God starts blessing, the devil starts messing. You know, you you you have a good Sunday service, you just get better get ready. He's going to come on Monday. He's going to try to mess with sometime sometime he don't even let you get out of the parking lot before he's trying to do it. All right. Maybe that only happens to a few pray for the rest of saints. Supper being ended. The devil now having put into the heart of Judas's chariot, Simon's son, to betray him. Jesus knowing that the father had given all things into his hands and that he was come from God and went to God. That sounds like he is secure in who he is. He is secure in who he is. Can I tell you something? Anybody that suffers with insecurity, you need to submit yourself to the way of God. You suffer with insecurity, you need to submit yourself to God. Because if you will submit yourself to God, you'll know who God is. God will know who you are and you'll know your purpose in life and you won't feel like you have to fit into anybody's mold because you know who he is. He knows who you are and you know the plan. Isn't that good tonight? You know the plan of God for your life. He knows who he is. Supper being ended. Jesus knowing verse three that the father had given all things into his hands and that he was come from God and went to God. He's sure of himself. He knows who he is. He ariseth from supper, lay aside his garments, took a towel, and girded himself. Now watch this. The greatest beautiful picture of submitting one to another. He, God robed in flesh, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, God of eternity, takes his outer garment off. be like me having this coat and I take this coat off and I just have my shirt here and and he takes his outer garment off and he goes over. They don't know what he's doing. He gets a towel and he pours some water in a basin and he goes around and you know what he had to do? He had to stoop. He had to get down low where their feet were at. And he, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, God of eternity, Abraham's God, he began to wash their feet. Do you know that in the ranks of servants, it was the lowest ranking servant that had to wash the feet? They even they even had rank in in in in being a servant. There were some servants that they they got hired on by washing feet, but they had long since had to wash somebody's ugly, old, dirty, gnarly looking feet. Jesus bent down and began to wash the disciples feet. He began to wash all their feet. And and and no doubt, I'd say they're baffled a little bit. And nobody said anything until they came to this man called Simon Peter. And you know, pride has a way of revealing itself in a lot of different ways. Sometimes pride can reveal itself and you want to blow a trumpet and tell everybody what you don't do, right? I know everybody else might do this, but this is what I don't do. you you know I I I just wish people would leave us alone on on trunk or treat. You know, I just wish they'd leave us alone at Christmas time. You you know I if if you think, well, the church ought to be out doing something and you ought to be out witnessing and having trunk and treat, what are you wasting your time making an ugly post on our website? You know why? You're full of pride and the only way that you can get a little notoriety is cockadoodle doing about what you don't do. Oh Lord, that wasn't in my notes. That wasn't But it felt good when people listen. You can have personal convictions. You can have personal convictions. But I'm going to tell you something. You'll know there's a little bit of pride in your heart when you want to blow the trumpet and tell people what you don't do. All right, that that's that's that you kind of kind of pick up that. Well, here they come to Simon Peter and the Lord bends down. He's already washed three or four people. He's already got three or four of the disciples feet washing. They come to Peter and Peter say, "Oh, no, no, no, not me. No, they may let you do it, but Lord Jesus, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, God of eternity, uh uh son of the living God, keys of the kingdom, I I'm I'm no, you you not you're not going to wash my feet." And here's what Jesus said. He said, "Peter, what I'm doing to you right now, you don't know, but I'll tell you a little bit later. But if you don't let me wash your feet, it's over between me and you. I take the keys back. It's different. It's over. I have nothing to do with you." All right. Well, then here. Oh, God. Well, not my feet only. Just pour the whole bucket on my head. My pour just just wash my whole wash my No, no, no, no, no, Peter. No, no, no. He goes down and he washes the feet. And you do know that although it doesn't say it, he washed Judas's feet. He may have possibly have washed the dirt that Judas got by going into the temple and cutting a deal with the Pharisees about selling Jesus as a slave. He bends down and he washes the very feet that are betraying him. He gets finished. He gets finished washing their feet. And verse number 13, John 13:13. If you'd put that, I don't believe I gave that uh I don't believe that sister Samantha that I sent that this verse here, but he gets finished and and he comes to chapter 13:3. He says, u you call me master and lord and you say, well, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, ye also ought to wash one another's feet. I have given you an example that you should do as I have done to you. Verily, verily, I say unto you, the servant is not greater than his Lord, neither is he that is sent greater than he that sent him. If you know these things, what's he saying? He's saying there can be rank. There are servants. There are masters. But servants and masters are serving one another. >> I said we're serving one another. There's rank. Like if you if you said the rank of a pastor, well, you're not subject to anybody. Foolishness. I'm not subject to anybody. I am subject to you. I am serving you. I am going to study the word. I'm going to pray till my belly hurts. I'm going to be sensitive to the Holy Ghost. I'm going to preach things that I know are difficult for you to receive. I'm going to preach things that cut, pinch, and hurt because I know that God has given me that to put into your life. So, I feel like I'm serving. I am serving you. But he Jesus is saying here there's rank, there's masters, there's those that are sent, there's the there's the servants and we are serving. And and then just look at this verse number 17. He says, if you know these things, what things subject one to another? You know why some people claim to be a Christian? Claim to be going to heaven but are not joined to a local body. They don't go to the house of God. You know why? Pride. They don't think they need the church. You know, they've got a story about a hypocrite and they got a story about somebody getting done wrong and and and all of that. But you know, you know my favorite saying, I would rather go to church with a few hypocrites than to go to hell with all of them. >> As a matter of fact, if they weren't in the church, they would be sinners. What makes them hypocrites is that they're in the church. But don't let a hypocrite keep you away. Don't don't don't let a hypocrite Yeah. As a matter of fact, let me pause for a moment here. Do you know what you're really saying when you say that a hypocrite can come between you and God? You're actually saying the hypocrite is closer to God than you are. If the hypocrite can come between you and God, then the hypocrite is closer. Nonsense. Let's do what Jesus. Let's serve one another. Let's see value in one another. Everybody in this room tonight is valuable. Hear me? I said everybody in this room tonight is valuable. There's no big eyes and little U's in God's kingdom. That's what makes it beautiful, isn't it? It's not the car that you drive. It's not the clothes that you wear. It's not the job that you have. It's not the money that you have. When we are in the kingdom of God, everybody, everybody is valuable in the kingdom of God. Stay around for a while. Let's develop your gifts. Let's see what God's got in the kingdom of God for you. Subject. Subject. Do you realize in verse 17 Jesus says these words chapter 13 of John verse 17 he says, "If you know these things, happy are ye if you do them." Do you realize that as far as we have recorded, brother Alter in scripture, as far as we have recorded, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John is the KJV. Now, I I don't know if you got another alphabet translation or not, but the KJV good enough for Paul and Silas. Good. You you know, you know that the KJV, Jesus only used the word happy one time. only use the word happy one time. I would imagine if you only used the word happy one time, that'd be that'd be pretty that'd be pretty important. And where is happiness found? Not in being served, but in serving others. He said, "If you know what I've just done, happy are ye if you do them." Let's continue to read here. Verse number 18. I speak not of you all, but I know whom I have chosen, but that the scripture may be fulfilled. He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me. Now, now you got to understand, it's going to get tight in that room. It It's going to get It's going to get Sunday night tight in that room. All right. Cuz he just said to the table, "There's somebody on this table that's not with me. There's somebody There's somebody on this table that's going to lift their heel up against me. There's somebody on this table. There's somebody on this table that's eating bread with me and they have lifted up their heel against me. Verse 19. This this is going to get interesting. Now I tell you before it come to pass before it come that when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I'm here. He said, "I'm I'm telling you right now, there's somebody on this table that's not right. There's somebody on this table that is fighting. There's somebody on this table that's lifted their heel. I'm telling you this right now so that when it comes to pass, you'll know that I'm he." Verse 20. Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that receiveth, whomsoever I send receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. Now, he's just, it seemed like he's all over the place, but he's not. He says, "There's somebody on this table that's not subject. There's somebody on this table that's not serving but wanting to be served. There's somebody on this table that's out of order. And then he says order is if you'll receive who I've sent, that's submission. Then you'll receive me and you receive the one that sent me. He's talking about submission. Verse 21. When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit and testified and said, "Verily, verily," you you've heard me say this before, "Verily" was a way of saying, "Hey." Like, like Brian, if I wanted your attention, I'd say, "Hey." But if I really wanted your attention, I'd say, "Hey, hey, verily, verily." He said, "I I want everybody's attention on the table." He says, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. One of you shall betray me." He ain't teaching the biatitudes. No woman with an issue of blood's getting healed. No bread's being multiplied. It's getting real tight in this room because now he's got the whole table. And he said, "I'm telling you, somebody on this table will betray me." Verse 22. Then the disciple the disciples looked one on another doubting whom he spake. Can I can I tell you? Do you know that Judas wasn't the obvious one? They're trying to figure out who he's talking about. It's not like everybody knew everybody knew that it would be Judas. That that's not that's not the way it is here. They're all looking around the table wondering, wondering who is he talking about? Verse 23. Now there was leaning on Jesus bosom one of his disciples whom Jesus loved. Now we all know this. You've heard this so many times. We know who it is. It's the writer. It's John. All right? It's John. John I always identified himself as a disciple whom Jesus loved. Isn't that a great way to sign off a letter? The disciple whom Jesus loves. The disciple whom Jesus loved. So he he he he just identifies himself there. He says he says, "Now there was leaning on Jesus bosom one of his disciples whom Jesus loved." Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him that he should ask who it should be of whom he spake. So Simon's down at the other end of the table going. John's got his head on Jesus' chest. And Peter's going, "Yes. It's there. I can't help it. It's there." Simon beckoning. Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him that he should ask who it should be of whom he spake. He then leaning on Jesus breast saith unto him, Lord, who is it? Jesus answered, he it is to whom I shall give a sop when I have dipped it. And he said, he says, I'm going to take this bread. I'm gonna take this bread. I'm gonna dip it in some some some like a pasty uh bring it down 21st century ranch dressing. I'm gonna dip it in. I'm going to dip it in here. And whoever I hand it to, that's the one. And he says it is he it is to whom I shall give a stop when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the soop, he gave it to Judas Iscariat, the son of Simon. And after the sop, Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, that thou doest, do quickly. That thou doest, do quickly. Now, now here's the danger here. Here's the danger here. When Jesus began to say, "Somebody's got their heel lifted against me." When Jesus began to say, "Somebody's on this table that's going to betray me." That was an opportunity of repentance. My how the story could be rewritten. Had Judas made the table an altar. >> Had you, Let me tell you something. There isn't a better crowd of people to fall in the altar than around God's people. >> You hear me? There's not a greater place to come to the altar but at First Apostolic Church. I promise you, if you ever come to the altar here at this church, you will not be alone. Oh, how our lives could be rewritten if we Seems like Jesus comes to a certain point. Jesus knows the spirit world. Jesus knows the spirit world. Jesus can see demons and devils as clearly as we see one another. We can't see him, but Jesus can. And when Judas reached out and got the soap and took it, Satan entered to him. And Jesus just simply says, "What you do, just do it quickly. Get it over with." Look at verse 28. Now, no man at the table knew for what intent he spake unto him. In other words, people stand around wondering what what did he mean by whatever you do, do quickly. What was what was that all about? For some of them, verse 29, for some of them thought because Judas had the bag, he held the money that Jesus had said unto him, "Buy those things that we have need of against the feast, or that he should give something to the poor." He then having received the sop went out immediately. And look at these words right here. What's the what's the last few words? And >> it was what? It was night. My the things that transpired on that night. The things that happened on that night. You see, Judas Judas was all so familiar. Judas was so familiar with the crowd that he knew about five minutes into the service on Sunday night, everybody will go on the altar. Judas knew the church so well that he knew that before service there would be prayer. Judas knew that we'll be here for a while worshiping and praising because Judas had been there many, many, many times. And I want I want to preach to you for a little bit tonight. I want to preach to you a little bit tonight. We can allow God's house to become oh so too familiar to us. We it can it can become a place to where it can just become a place to where we we go to socialize. And I think that's one of the big I think that's one of the challenges to when a church has some growth to it, people will start coming to that church because it's a social thing to do. I go to the big church. I go to the crowded church. I go to there. But you see, friend, a big building nor a crowded building will change your life. None of that will help you. That night, Judas went down and said, "I'm ready to betray him." He received 30 pieces of silver that night. The Bible tells us that they said, "Well, where will he be?" Judas said, "Well, the quietest place to get him is in the Garden of Gethsemane." The Bible simply says, "And Judas knew the place where Jesus prayed because Jesus went there often." Isn't that amazing that you can have a man so far away from God but yet so close? You know, Bible says that Judas led a group of men with lanterns and torches and swords. It was dark. It'd be hard to identify. They see the the torches. They see the crowd coming. The the disciples going to run in every different direction. But Judas said, "I know it's dark. I know it's dark." But said, "Just watch me. The one that I kiss. The one that I kiss. That That'll be the one. Hold him. Hold him fast. And right before Judas kissed the door to heaven and walk straight to hell. Right before Judas Jesus said, and I'm I'm not playing with that verse. Jesus said, "I am the door." Judas kissed the door. How close to kiss the door and turn around and walk straight into hell. But right before he kissed the door one last time, a loving God addresses him not as you traitor, you traitor, you low down scoundrel. Right before Judas kisses him. Jesus just simply says, "Friend, friend, what have you come to do, friend?" He kissed him. It's dark. He kissed him. They grabbed Jesus. They grabbed Jesus. They arrested him. They took him. They beat him through the night. They tried him through the night. Something happened. You hear me? Did you remember just a few moments ago when Judas left the presence of Jesus, what did the writer want to specify and highlight? What did the writer want to specify and highlight? When Judas went out of the room, what was it? It was night. It was It was night. Then chapter 27 of the book of Matthew verse number one, please hear this this evening. Please hear this this evening. Matthew 27 verse number one. When the morning was come, when the morning was come, can I tell you that every night has a morning and Judas, your night is going to have a morning. When the morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death. And when they had bound him, they led him away and delivered him to Pontis Pilate the governor. Look at verse three. Watch it. Follow it closely. Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the 30 pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders. This is where pride is blinding. Because what happens when pride blinds your life? It has to blind you. No one would knowingly walk in to the grip of sin. No one would knowingly walk in knowing that what I'm going to do can give me a disease that I'll die prematurely. No one hear me tonight church. No one would knowingly walk in and say what I'm about to do is going to wreck our marriage. It's going to wreck our children. It's going to put a stigma all of these things. No one would knowingly do that. Judas, I don't know what was on your mind. I don't know if you thought that it would just be a good time to slip off. You were never sold out to begin with. You were never sold out to begin with. You've got a good excuse. There was a woman that brought almost a year's wages of perfume and poured it out and you've got a crowd around there and you're saying, "This is such a waste. Why shouldn't this have been sold and give to the poor?" You've got an excuse. Isn't it amazing? People that are looking to leave have to have an excuse. And if you're looking to leave, excuses can come to you by the dozen. But if you're looking to stay, there's not enough lies in hell. There's not enough backbiting. There's not enough backstabbing. There's not enough of that that can run you out of the house of God. Great peace have they which love thy law, and nothing shall offend them. Come on. I wish you'd praise him with me right now. I got to get excuse. Jesus will probably just slither through the crowd like he did at Nazareth. He'll probably just that that, you know, he could do a miracle. But Judas sees that he's condemned. He sees that Jesus is condemned to die. Then Judas which had betrayed him. When he saw that he was condemned, repented himself and brought again the 30 pieces of silver to the chief priest. It's called a mourning of regret. You know what I'm trying to do? You know what I'm trying to do? You know what this seemed like the spirit of God is leading the last couple of services? God is trying to say to you plainly, I don't want you to have a mourning of regret. I gave you a table. I gave you every opportunity to repent. I talked about somebody's at the table that's going to betray me. I talked about somebody's lifted their heel. I've talked about somebody's dipping into the soap. I talked about all that. But there was no repentance. God, help us tonight. God, help us to examine our lives tonight. And if there's anything in our hearts tonight, I don't want to have a mourning of regret. I don't want to live a life and say, "I wish I'd have went to the altar on that Sunday night." I felt my heart beat through my chest. I felt I I couldn't hardly breathe. Conviction was on me so strong. But I fought it off and I fought it off because I had pride and I had pride. But look at me now. Mourning of regret. He takes the 30 pieces of silver. Verse four, saying, "I have sinned and that I have betrayed the innocent blood." And they said, "What is that to us? See thou to that he cast down the Let me tell you something, friend." The same people that'll talk you in to getting out of church will be the same people that when hell when your life falls apart and you start crying out to God, they'll say, "Well, what is that to us? What is that to Can I tell you something? I have yet to go to a funeral of a drunk driver and see flowers from the local liquor store. I have yet to go to a funeral of an overdosed individual and see flowers from the drug dealer. I have yet to go to a funeral and seen the world give its praise to that dead person. But oh, how many times have we went and seen the church of the living God. Here they are cooking. Here they are singing songs. Here they are. Preachers are trying to find comforting words to say some to somebody. What am I trying to preach to you tonight? Wake up. Wake up. You don't have to have a morning of regret. Oh, you don't. How bad regret can be. Verse five, he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed and went out. And look at the end of that. It's not pretty, is it? and he hanged himself. It's not pretty. As a matter of fact, when Peter addresses it in the book of Acts, Peter goes beyond him just hanging himself. Peter takes us a gory step further. Peter says that obi when he when when when when Judas hung himself evidently he hung himself over a cliff and Peter identifies that the rope evidently the rope broke his body landed and his inrils his guts burst aunder on the floor. He said that's not pretty. You better believe it's not pretty because that's simply the way that sin will do you. An opportunity to repent. an opportunity. Oh, I preach to you tonight. I ask you as your pastor this evening, please make a commitment to God. Make a covenant with God. Make a covenant with God in your mind. God, I'm going to live for you all the days of my life, God. I I'm going to serve you all the days of my life, God. I I'm I'm going to give you Would you just lift your hands right now with me? And would you just kind of lift up your voice with me right now? Would you would you lift up your voice with me right now? Come on, lift up your voice with me right now. Judas, why didn't you wake up, Judas? He called you friend. Judas, he tried to tell you over and over again on the table. On the table, on the table, on the table, Judas, he tried to tell you when you're when you're when you're complaining about the perfume. He's trying to tell you, you got the poor with you always. But me, you don't always have with you. Come on, Judas. Judas, let me tell you something, and I'm going to close in just a moment that David in the Bible made a horrible mistake. It's found in 2 Samuel 11:1-3. It came to pass after the year was expired at the time when kings go forth to battle that David sent Joab and his servants with him and all Israel and they destroyed the city children of Ammon besieged Rabbi. But David terried still at Jerusalem. Came to pass in an evening tide that David rose from off his bed and walked upon the roof of the king's house. And from the roof he saw a woman washing herself and the woman was very beautiful to look upon. David sent and inquired after the woman. And one said, underline that. And one said, "Is not this Basheba, the daughter of Elam, the wife of Uriah the Hitittite?" That man knew exactly what David had on his mind? That man knew exactly that David wanted her to come to the palace and sleep in the bed of adultery. That man knew that David, that's what David, that's why he inquired the woman. Thank God for the voice of one. Thank God for the voice of one. You've got to have at least one voice in your life that can wake you up from your fleshly temptation because the sexual sins of lust can intoxicate your brain, impair your vision, and you need the voice of one. You need one person in your life that's not afraid to tell you the truth. >> Now, you you you got to remember, you got to remember something. David's king. David is the king. David holds Brother Ben. David holds all the cards. David's the king. All David has to do is to say, "I'll have you put to death. I'll have you put to death." The voice of one. The voice of one. Is not this Basheba? Is not her husband? Is not her husband Uriah? What's he trying to do? David, wake up. Wake up, David. Wake up. Wake up, David. But he didn't listen to that voice. He lay in adultery with her. Tried to cover it up. And I'll go quickly. Tried to cover it up. Couldn't cover it up. Had her husband murdered in battle. had her husband put to death in battle, then reached out, brought her into his palace and married her, that then there came a prophet. Can I tell you that when God sends you a prophet and God sends you a preacher, you better pray to God. He's always on my back. He's always Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You better pray to God. I never stop. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. If your kids are going to hell, I hope I'm the last voice in their life. You know, you know, you turn, get back, get get back in the house of God. You better hope that the man of God, you better hope that the voices of God will keep on and keep on. When you get latched on God, when you get cold on God, when you get laxed on God, you better hope somebody's not up here saying, "How can I make them feel good about themselves? I better not mention it. I know what the Holy Spirit told me in the prayer room, but that'll make them mad. That'll make them upset. Do you realize that when David when Nathan walked into that throne room, Sister Franklin, and he put a little sermon in a parable of two sheep? And when David said, "The man that took that little sheep's going to die." And the man of God said, "You're the man." Do you realize how dangerous that was? Cuz all David had to say is, "And off with your head, you're dead." And David could have lived the rest of his life. C can I tell you? I've been assassinated many times. My voice has been silenced many times by people. And because my voice was silenced many times, their life went on a road of destruction and deception. And they're still living in destruction and deception. And if they don't turn, they'll spend eternity in a devil's hell because you hold the power to cut the man's head off. You hold the power. You can either do one thing with the preacher. You can either cut his head off or you can listen to what he's saying. And if you'll listen to what he's saying, David, you you you you'll look at the man of God and you'll say, "I have sinned." And the man of God will say, "Yes, but God hath put away your sin from you." And there'll be a resurrection. There'll be a there there'll be restitution. There'll be there'll be reconciliation. And you'll live again, David. You'll live again. But you can cut his head off. It's John the Baptist. It's it's it's that one voice in your life. Can I beg you tonight? Can I plead with you tonight if you would stand with me? I know we don't normally have an altar call on midweek service, but I feel so strong in my spirit tonight that there's somebody there's somebody in this room that needs to come down and put themselves on this altar tonight. There's somebody in this room right now in the name of Jesus Christ. There's somebody that God's trying to wake you up at the table, friend. God's trying to wake you up at the table, friend. It can be another person that'll betray him, but don't let it be you. It can be another person, but Judas, don't let it be you. It can be another person, but don't let it be you, David. If you hadn't got all by yourself, if you hadn't got all alone by yourself, David. Oh, come on, pray with me right now. Oh, God. God, I need you. Lord, I need you. Lord, I need you, God. Lord, I make a covenant with you tonight, God. Lord, I ask you to forgive me of my sins, Lord. God, I ask you to wash me from my sins, oh God. Lord, I ask you tonight to forgive me of my transgressions, God. God, from this night forward, Lord, I'm going to walk uprightly before you, Lord. From this night forward, God, I'm going to walk away from that, God. Lord, I'm going to cut that off. I'm going to I'm going to walk away from that, God. I'm going to put it under the blood right now. I'm going to put it under the blood. Going to put it under the blood. I'm gonna put it under the blood right now. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord. Oh, God. Oh, God. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Tonight, those of you that are already praying in the altar, those of you that are already praying the altar tonight, I I'm going to do a little bit of something that I I I I just got a whole I got ahead of myself. >> Judas was alone. Brother John Stone, he was alone when he sold Jesus out. David, David was alone when he was on that rooftop. And I know that that beautifully we come husbands and wives. But could I have all the men moved to this side of the altar? All the men move to this side of the altar. All the women move to the other side of the altar. All the men on on on my right over here. All the women over there. God, I love you tonight, God. God, I love you tonight, Lord. God, I worship you tonight, God. Lord, I can't get alone. God, I got to have my brothers, God, I I can't get alone, God. God, I got to have a voice of a pastor in my life. God, I got to have a voice of a pastor in my life. I I I've got to have a voice of a pastor in my life. I do. I I I've got to have a voice of a pastor in my life. I I I need that anointed, that word voice of my pastor in my life. I I need that pastor. I need that voice right now. I need that voice right now. I need that voice right now. I need that voice right now. Sisters, >> you you you need a sister in your life. You need a you you need a sister in your life. You need a you you need you need an elder in your life. You you you you you see God help me tonight. Thank you all. Thank you beautiful people. The the men over that way. If you kind of crunch up a little bit so we can get them all down in in the altar. You over that way and the women over this way. Come on. First lady, help me out. I just want to tell you, God, that I need you tonight. God, I just want to tell you, God, that I need you tonight. I just want to tell you, God, that I need you right now. David, you're all by yourself. David, you It was never planned. You should have never been all by yourself, David. David, you should have been in the battlefield. You You You should have been with your brothers, David. You You You should had had you been with your brothers, David. Don't you know that? Yeah. Don't Don't you know what would have happened, Sister Carpenter, had Judas on that table? Just turned to the Lord and said, "It's me." It could have been written a different way. Could have been something else that happened, Sister Hines, because he held it in. He was the only one that went and betrayed. You know, parents and and I'm glad some of our children are out of here, but I'm going to tell every mom and dad something right now. Brother Hammond, you will have to keep helping us on this. But there is so much demonic attack on the internet about preachers who preach the word of God and who adhere to holiness and separation. Men looking like men and women looking like women. They're we're cults. That's that's what they call. You're you're cults. You're you're this. You're a control freaky. You're you're a cult leader. You're you're manip manipulating. You're you're all these things. Can I tell you something? Our kids are are reading this. They're reading this. And it's going to take more than just me. It's going to take you in the home. What? What? Dad, I I'd look online and and Dad, I look online and they said, "Brother Holmes over in Arkansas is a cult leader." and and and they said, "Brother Mcool and Knox was a cult leader." And they said they even had he had broke Carpenter down as a cult leader. You need to be able to say, first off, you don't need to be on there. And the second thing, the man of God is not a cult leader. He is telling us the living word of God. We're not all alone. We're not all alone. We're not all alone. Listen, and please don't waste your fingernail time getting on there and trying to defend truth. Silence ought to be the best message they get. You're not even wait because I'm going to tell you something. The vast majority of them people once stood in an apostolic church and they just couldn't pay the price. And because they won't pay the price, they get mad at others that are paying the price and they want to empty out. But I got news for them. Upon this rock, I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. But they will pluck our kids off one at a time if I don't have the support of home. If you don't know how to say, "Let me tell you something. Let me tell you something. That's a good word of God he preached tonight. Let me tell you something. You ain't going to hear me. You you ain't you ain't gonna hear me going home telling my kids I don't know what the preacher ate for dinner but boy he was sure cranky Sunday night. I hope he never comes in from an overseas trip and preach again cuz man he was sure cranky on Sunday night. Can I tell you that had nothing to do with a lack of sleep and that had nothing to do with being being tired. That had everything to do with a loving God trying to tell somebody on on the table repent. and pick. >> Keep a brother close to you. I'm going to tell you something. I'm going to tell you something. Keep a brother close to you, but you need to keep people in your life that have overcome. You don't need to have peers that are going through the same struggle that you're going through. You need to get you some brother Salards and say, "Well, how long you been in church?" Oh, 50s something years. How long you about How long you been in church, brother? Can get, brother, can you come on up here? 62 years. That's three years old when you come into church. And here I am, pastor. That's good. >> That's three years old. Can I tell you something? If somebody's been in church 62 years, that's somebody that I want to get around and say, "How how'd you do that? How How'd you do that? How did How'd you do it? How many years you've been married? >> 50. >> 50 years. That's right. We was at your uh half century mark. That's exactly right. We were These are the kind of people you want. You don't live for God. Find people like this in the church. You got marital trouble, find people like that. Don't Don't go out with the boys. Don't go out the boys that are having the same problems you're having. Get get with some of the get with some of these right here. How'd you do it? You see, that's that's that's David. That's That's David. Some of you said just stay right there and bust out. Some of you sisters over here. You You need Listen, your girls not out. It's all right. It's all right to have you know I I'm tell I don't have boys not out cuz I had boys not out all the time I was dating. I didn't like boys not out. All right. That's why I got married so I could have a married life out. All right. But you know something? It's all right. I'm not preaching against I'm not preaching Well, now if you're out talking about not loving your husbands and >> we're all three sitting here miserable, why do you get married? >> You need to quit that stuff >> cuz that's going to lead you down a bad road. Well, I'm I'm just preaching to you tonight. You hear me? I I'm just preach I'm just being the voice of one in your life tonight. All right. You need to get with some of these women around here that's been married for several years. You get around people that have weathered a few storms. See, you you look at people like Salards and and Sister Snitzer. You look at people like this and they they've never had any trouble. It it may surprise you >> to get around them and let them take take you through some times in their life. That really happened to you? Yeah, that really happened to us. But you know what? We kept on going to church. We never lost hope. We we kept that man of God's voice in our lives. We raised our kids in the house of God. We had that one voice in our life. Tonight, we're going to end this service right now. We're going to end this service. I want ladies, lay your hands on one another. Men, lay your hands on one another. We need each other. Father, in the name of Jesus, tonight, God, Lord, I pray, God, if there's anything in our lives that God, we repent of it right now. God, if there's anything, God, in any of these men's lives, God, we bring it to the altar right now. God, we bring it to the altar right now. God, we bring it to the altar right now. God, if we've got any men that are struggling with pornography, in the name of Jesus Christ, I pray for victory. I pray for freedom for them right now, God. If there's any man in here tonight, God, and he's made mistakes, God, he's made moral issues out of his life, God, in the name of Jesus, let grace flow freely. Let mercy flow freely, God. In the name of Jesus tonight. In the name of Jesus tonight. God. Oh God. In the name of Jesus. Right now. Come on. Lay your hands over on one another. Oh yes God. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Jesus. God. Jesus. God. Jesus. God. Jesus. God. Help us to be overcomers. Help us to break that hole. God. Help us God to have happy marriages. Help us God to love one another. Help us God to overcome God. That's it, man. Oh, what a voice I hear. >> >> Come on. Come on. I'm telling you, the next five minutes could be lifech changing. The next five minutes could be lifech changing. We need one another. We submit ourselves one to another. >> >> Oh god. Oh God. Oh God. Oh God. Oh God. Oh God. Oh God. Oh God. Oh God. Oh. safeguard your marriage. Safeguard your marriage right now. Protect your marriage right now. Put boundaries up on your marriage right now. Safeguard your marriage right now. Come on. God's trying to help us right now. Oh, God's trying to help us right now. Men, safeguard your marriage. >> Men, safeguard your marriage. Please, in the name of Jesus Christ, safeguard your marriage. Safeguard your marriage. Don't flirt around. Don't tamper around with pornography. Don't tamper around. Don't flirt around with things on television of nudity. Please, you better safeguard your marriage. You got to safeguard your marriage. You can't play You can't play with Well, ain't nobody knows but me. I'm going to tell you, it'll catch up with you. Safeguard your marriage. Don't ever I'm just pastoring you tonight. You hear me? I'm just pastoring you tonight. >> You text the opposite sex, put your husband in the feed with it. >> Put your husband in the feed with it. You may be seated. You listen to me. You text the opposite sex. Put your husband, put your wife in the feet. You say, "Well, what what are you talking about?" I'm talking about safeguarding. I'm talking about I'm talking about safeguarding. When you find the opposite sex always wanting to have a conversation with you, you oh, they're they're just needing something. They're hurting. they're needing something, you'll see how bad they're hurting if you can bring your wife into the conversation. If your wife's not welcome there, you're not welcome there. And it's vice versa. >> It's vice versa. A lot of people go down a slippery slope. A slippery a slippery slope. Well, we just like talking to each other. Well, we just have a lot in common. You're going down a slippery slope. And right now at the table, God has sounded an alarm. Two services, Sunday night and tonight, he's trying to tell you, "Wake up. Wake up. You don't know what's down the road. You better wake up. You better wake up." And I just believe tonight, I love you and appreciate you. I thank you for letting me pastor you. Let me preach to you tonight. Let's be the church that Jesus Christ is pleased with. Let's be that church right now with hands lifted. Let's dismiss oursel in a powerful praise to God.